Inditex renews pact to monitor supply chain

The GFA was initially signed in 2007 with the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF), before it merged with other federations to become the IndustriAll global union.

The agreement was renewed in a ceremony at the International Labour Organization's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on July 8.

The GFA with Spanish-based Inditex covers its entire supply chain, involving a million garment workers in around 6,000 supplier factories making clothes for the company’s eight different brands, including Zara, Pull&Bear and Massimo Dutti.

The pact is designed to protect the interests of workers across the global operations of multinational companies, even those not directly working for the company, setting the best standards for trade union rights, health and safety, and environmental practices.

“The collaboration between Inditex and IndustriALL has proven one of the most effective working tools in terms of identifying and prioritizing lines of initiative that deliver continual improvements in the supply chain, Pablo Isla, chairman and CEO of the Spanish retail giant Inditex, said. “Moreover, signature of this agreement under the auspices of the ILO foreshadows a future of tireless dedication to enhancing living and working conditions in our sector.”

Gilbert Houngbo, deputy director-general for field operations and partnerships of the ILO, said: "The ILO welcomes the renewal of the Global Framework Agreement between IndustriALL Global Union and Inditex. This is a positive step towards improving workers' rights and working conditions in the garment industry.”

“The GFA with Inditex is a model of mature industrial relations with a multinational corporation. In promoting trade union values, the GFA empowers workers and improves lives, allowing even the most vulnerable people at the bottom of Inditex’s supply chain to be heard and protected,” Jyrki Raina, general secretary of the IndustriALL, explained.